As many Blues fans will know, Blues Trust had input into the Fan Led Review of football which was chaired by Tracey Crouch MP three years ago. The review culminated in the Football Governance Bill, which the previous Conservative Government introduced into Parliament last year before its progress was curtailed due to the General Election.

Following it’s election, the Labour Government re-introduced the Bill. And with amendments designed to further strengthen it. The Bill is currently being debated in the House of Lords where it is expected to spend several more weeks before going back to the House of Commons ahead of final approval.

A summary of the Bill can be found here

The Bill proposes an Independent Regulator for football to oversee light touch regulation for the game. It also introduces other safeguards such as providing a backstop solution in the event that the Premier League and EFL can’t agree on an updated arrangement for re-distributing money throughout the football pyramid.

Last week Lisa Nandy, Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, gave an interview to the Price of Football Podcast where she provided an update on the progress of the Bill. She also addressed some of the challenges to the Bill that interested parties such as the Premier League and the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, have raised.

In the interview, Lisa Nancy describes how she has toughened it up to make it closer to what Tracy Crouch originally intended. She also explains in some detail how the backstop will work, and how the Government is working to incorporate constructive amendments being proposed from the Lords whilst circumventing attempts to wreck the Bill by a handful of opposition peers. She also discusses the cost of the Regulator and what it will and will not do.

The full interview is a good summary of where the Bill is and can be heard here.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-price-of-football/id1482886394?i=1000692905812

The interview is also a useful reminder that progress is continuing to be made in Parliament to introduce the changes identified by the original Fan Led Review. Changes that will impact on all clubs, including our own. As things stand, those changes will be coming down the line very soon.

Blues Trust